How to become a GM
Whether you are new to Shadowrun, new to role playing games in general, or an experienced gamer with tons of stories, no role playing game can really exist without that one person. You know the one: the Game Master. regardless of what system you use, the Game Master (GM) is the one that sets the scenes, referees the fights, interprets the bones, and unlocks the vault. Part story teller, part actor, part god, part international-person-of-mystery, and part cheering section, the GM is the one that makes the games come alive. Bad GMs make it miserable for everyone (and make some great "gamer horror stories," which we all collect and trade); great ones draw players in without realizing it. (Nobody's perfect; even great GMs have bad days.) Runnerhub is looking for GMs. Don't worry if you don't think you're great. You remember that old joke: "how do you get to Carnegie Hall? By practice." Only by practicing to be a great GM will you become a great GM. Runnerhub is offering you that chance to practice. All you need to do is follow the steps below. Play (in 3 runs) Three runs on the 'Hub. That is the minimum number of games you need to participate in to apply. The reason is to ensure, before you even think about controlling other people, you know on a basic level how the 'Hub works and runs. Gaming around a table and in person is different than the experience Runnerhub offers. Especially in a living campaign, you can't be a good GM without first being a player, if for nothing more than experiencing the belly of the beast that is Seattle and the way we handle continuity and metaplots. Due to the popularity of Runnerhub, and that players outnumber GMs by multitudes of factors, Runnerhub is now accepting candidates who wish to be a GM. If you've GM'd before, you know what's involved, even if you've never led a virtual table top before. If you haven't GM'd before, this will give you an opportunity to cut your teeth without people staring you in the face. Just because you want to be a GM doesn't mean you can just post on the 'Hub that you're putting together a game. There is a process to follow. You still have to let us know you are interested. And we still have to approve you. You do that by... Applying to be a GM via Mod-mail Send us a Mod-mail, declaring your intent to play, a few things about yourself, any previous experience you have GMing, and your familiarity with Shadowrun. A lack of any of these things is not an issue, in fact we have a few brand spanking new GM's who made their start here. Our Interpersonal Division will pull ya aside and give you an entry interview mostly to make sure you are our level of crazy before approving you and give you access to our GM resources. We generally try to pair any green incoming GMs with a current GM as a contact, in case you have questions or concerns about things. With over 700 runners, it can help to have a veteran GM watching your back. Interview for the position You don't have to have a resume all prepped and ready to go. No shirt and tie, no fancy dress, no shiny shoes. Just sit down with one of the designated representatives from Interpersonal Division (ID), and answer a few easy questions. Mostly, we will be looking to see if you are familiar with Shadowrun, and 5e in particular. Not having all the sourcebooks does not disqualify you from being a GM, as there's a lot of resources out there, and a lot of GMs can create a campaign with just the main book. (If it can be done every time a new edition comes out, you can do it too!) There will also be an "orientation" component, which is a fancy way of asking if you've done virtual table top gaming before. If you know how to stream games, can record game sessions, and can post these online (either to your own channel or the Runnerhub YouTube channel - preferably both), that will also be discussed. It is not an "automatic in" if you can, do, or know how; think of it as an added benefit/bonus. Nor does it mean you won't be considered if you don't know how or don't have a channel to post to. Since Leadership is also doing things in RL (Real Life) outside of Runnerhub, other members of the Leadership crew can also conduct the interviews for GM-hood. So you might will have an interview with someone from the Interpersonal Division (ID), or anyone in the Leadership collective. If one of those department heads aren't available, your interview will be with two of the Moderators (the underlings/ assistants/ minions of the Leadership positions), although probably not at the same time. Post up Run Proposals for a few runs. Now, this is the part that might sound like we don't trust you, and that's not true at all. Once you are approved, you will be added to The Sekret GM Klub on Skype, to talk to all of us in a chaotic swarm. You also gain access to the hallowed Shadowsea, which is the GM Subreddit for Runnerhub. We post run ideas (Proposals), confirmations, After Action Reports (AARs), and use it as a general information hub for coordination of the myriad of plots and ideas we have. While you are fresh, we ask that you post any ideas you have for runs, so that we can check them over for metaplot impact, challenge rating, and a few other key ideas. Again, it's not because we don't trust you, we just want to check and make sure the idea fits with the 'Hub and it doesn't fly in the face of something you may not have known was going on. We also provide gobs of information for you about the run and give suggestions on ways we might be able to make it better for ya. This can be anything, really: recently we've discussed using gangs versus syndicates, responses from law enforcement when people are spotted with MilSpec gear, and even how much rewards are given to runners. Don't worry, you only gotta do three of these before they aren't really required anymore. We have plenty of GM's that love the feedback and continue to do it well into their double digits of games, though. There's always something new you can add to your sessions. Requirements for All GMs Once you become a GM, there are some requirements that you have to do. For every run you complete, you need fill out an AAR. Don't worry, we have a sample template. Fill this out within 72 hours of every run you GM, and give people a summary of what happened, as well as some fodder for future runs. (And possibly a couple of MetaPlot runs... so be careful what you throw at runners. You might just see it the next time you go for a job.) All new GMs also need to complete Proposals. (Again, we have a template for that.) New GMs need to complete three Proposals prior to posting the run. You can do them all at once, but it's recommended to do them one at a time. (Once you get an idea, come up with a title. Then run a search to see if someone else has used that title.) The guideline is that if nobody posts a comment to your thread/proposal in 24 hours, you are free to post up the run for the public. It is not required to comment in The Sekret GM Klub on Skype that you have a Proposal up, but it's a good idea. Also, if you are running a MetaPlot run, a Proposal is a requirement. This gets reviewed by TD. Thematic Division has control over the MetaPlot, although they will collaborate with individual GMs upon request. While the ruling has not been made official yet, it's a good idea to limit the number of Solo Runs you offer to be equal to or fewer than the number of Group Runs you put together. A solo run is defined as just two folks: you and the runner. There's a link on the side bar for those who want to put forth a solo run, and there are some restrictions on rewards and types of runs available, but you are not discouraged from offering them. The one requirement we have is that you must do at least one group run prior to your first solo run. (Be aware: solo runs also have the same Proposal/ AAR requirements.) Rewards One of the things you will be given access to is the template for posting jobs, the templates for run proposals, and the templates for GM AARs (After Action Reports to be filled out by Game Masters). Yes, some of these documents are already part of the Wiki. You'll also get access to advice channels, chats, and more. No decoder rings, though. If you are looking for information, though, you don't always have to go to the closed door of /r/Shadowsea to find it. There will always be good information here you can use, too. Stuff like Maps, NPCs, Contacts, Businesses, and more. We're always adding to it, and stuff that is in the Shadowsea areas that will help everybody has a good chance of making it to the public Wiki. Lastly, you'll get the satisfaction of putting together a game session that people will enjoy, be talking about, and share in the love of Shadowrun. you thought you'd get paid? Well, I wasn't going to say anything about that, but there is [[Earning GMP|some form of compensation] for all your time you spent putting together for someone else's enjoyment.] Je suis finis. That's it. That's all the information I can share with you. I have finished. (But I'm not done for, as my French implies.) But you're just starting out on this grand and epic journey as a molder of men, shaper of stories, and stealer of souls. So what are you waiting for? Contact us today! You can also head back to the Main Table of Contents, and check out more information! Category:GM Info Packs Category:Rules